Hoisting apparatus.



3 SHEETS-SHEET l.

Patented Dec. 1, 1908.

A. E` MORRIS.y K HOISTING APPARATUS. AILIOATION FILED JAN. 14| 1905- Liz/venan.-

elmonl?. Mrlii@ 1HE NaRRIs PETERS C0.. wAsHmaroN. n. lr,

A. E. NORRIS. HOISTING APPARATUS. APPLICATION FILED JAN.14, 1905.

Patented Dec. 1, 1908. SBBETSAHBETV'Q. E27/9. z I

DI 1 f wllnegsls e6 Ilz/venian ed man E ZV1-nada. Im/f by A. E. N ORRIS. HOISTING APPARATUS. APPLIOATIoN FILED 11111.14, 1905.

Patented Dee. 1, 1908.

s sums-s112111 a.

Invenor: lm on E. Mfr/G ALMON E. NoEais, oF CAMBRIDGE, MAsSAGHUsETTs.

HOISTING APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 1,- 1908.

Application led January 14, 1905. SerialNo. 241,073.

To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALMON VE. NoRRIs, a citizen of the United States, residing -at Cambridge, in the county of Middlesex and` the employment of a counterweighted hoisting element is useful.` Such for example, is

vthe case where a grab or bucket of the clamshell type is employed, for raising coal or the like and I have herein illustrated myinvention by showing one embodiment thereof in a system of this character. Where Ja clamshell bucket or grab is `employed for this purpose, the weight of the bucket is frequently more than that ofthe load which it is designed to lift; and for a load of 2000v lbs. of coal, a bucket of approximately 3,000 lbs. is often employed. rIhe counterweighting of sucha bucket obviously reduces to a material degree the power required for lifting the load. The methods of counterweighting, however, heretofore suggested have failed to consider the fact that at times the full weight of the bucket is desirable since it must be largely relied ,upon to cause the jaws thereof to `sink into. the coal, or other material to belifted, after the bucket has been dropped.

My invention provides a counterweighted hoisting device, but so arranged that the effect of the counterweighting means upon the hoisting device may be relieved, when desired, and the entire weight of the latter be made effective. More specifically, as applied to the grab hoist herein, I have also arranged the opening-and-closing rope and the hoistingrope, so that the two maybe operated independently of each other, and so thatthe hoisting rope, by which latter the counterweight is herein carried, maybe positively paid out to the hoisting device, while slack in the opening-and-closing rope may be simultaneouslyl taken in.

My invention will be best understood by reference to the following specification when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, showing one specific and illustrative embodiment thereof, while its scope will be more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings,-Figure l is an elevation, partially in section, of the double rope winding-drum employed in the illustrated embodiment of my invention; Fig. 2 is a plan View of a hoisting engine equipped with the double drum shown in Fig. l; Fig. 3 is an elevation of the same; Fig. 4t is an outline view showing a hoisting system embodying one form of my invention, employing the engine illustrated, and; Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic view showing the relation of the hoisting and the openingand-closing ropes.

Referring particularly to Fig. 1l, I have herein shown my invention as applied to an ordinary bucket hoisting system employing a grab or bucket a of usual form, herein of the well-known Rawson'type. The bucket is caused totravel along the boom b, by means of the trolley carriagec and the trolley rope o', the latter passing about a suitable trolley drum c2 upon the hoisting engine C. The buckety is raised or lowered by the hoisting rope d, and its jaws are opened and closed in the usual manner by the opening-and-closing rope c. These two operating ropes pass upward over suitable sheaves, f, c uponr the trolley carriage, over sheaves f upon the tower and thence downward to and about the rope-winding apparatus. The system illustrated is ofan ordinary and usual type. The usual mode of operation is to raise the bucket when loaded by winding in simultaneously on both the hoisting and opening-and-closing ropes. When hoisted, the load is dumped by holding the hoisting rope and letting out slack in the opening-and-closing rope to cause the jaws of the bucket to open outward. The bucket is then dropped by paying out both ropes until it strikes the coal with its open jaws. IVith the hoisting lrope slack, the bucket will sink into the coal from its own weight, and the opening-and-closing rope is wound in to take up the slack previously let out and to close the jaws, after which both rope are wound in simultaneously to hoist the closed bucket with its load, as before.

In the described embodiment of my invention I have provided means for counter- .weighting the bucket, so that the force required to lift the latter will be little more than that required to lift its contained load; but I have also provided means whereby the full weight of the bucket may be made effective when the latter strikes the coal and when the slack in the openingand closing rope is taken in to close the bucket jaws. To this end 1 have provided rope operating means comprising herein the winding drums g and g, the former for the hoisting rope, the latter for the opening-and-closing rope, and these drums, while capable of being operated as a unit, are also independently operable.

Referring more particularly to Fig. 1, the two winding drums g and g, are journaled upon the main driving shaft L, and are adapted to have a slight endwise movement thereon. A suitable friction clutch, i, is xedly secured to the shaft It, between the said tvo drums, and the drums are provided with clutch surfaces, h2, and h3, to cooperate with said clutch device, whereby either drum may be clutched to the latter, to rotate therewith and with the shaft L. Any suitable clutch operating devices may be employed and l have here indicated (Fig. 2) sliding collars and clutch operating' screws of the type described in my prior patent Reissue No. 12,085, dated February 2st, 1903 for forcing said drums either separately or together into clutching engagement with the shaft.

In addition to the direct driving connection described, the hoisting drum g, when unclutched may be driven in a reverse direction and at a slower rate of speed by means of planetary gearing, herein comprising the driving pinion, 7c, keyed or otherwise secured to the shaft 7L; the internal gear 72 attached to or comprising a part of the said hoisting drum g and the intermediate pinion 7a2, carried by and journaled upon the rotatable member 7c3, the latter mounted for free rotation about the shaft L, excepting when held or opposed by the brake band ist. Thus, when it is desired to reverse the movement of the drum g, the same is unclutched and the band le* tightened to hold fast the rotatable member 7c3, whereupon the drum is reversely driven at a slower rate of speed through the pinion le, intermediate gear 7a2, and internal gear le.

Any means may be employed for counterweighting the bucket, but a simple and effective way is that shown in Figs. t and 5, where the counterweight vW is carried by a counterweight rope fw, which latter after passing over suitable sheaves, is secured to the hoisting drum, g, but in a reverse manner to the hoisting rope, so that the latter winds 0r unwinds as the counterweighted rope unwinds or winds.

lThe mode of operation is as follows z* The bucket having been filled and its jaws closed, both clutches are thrown in and the engine started to wind in both the hoisting and the opening-and-closing ropes simultaneously; this action serving to pay out the eounterweight, which latter is preferably of a weight approximately but not quite to counterbalance the weight of the unloaded bucket. lVhen the load has been hoisted and the trolley carriage properly positioned, the engine is stopped, the hoisting drum g held, and the opening-ancl-closing drum released, to let out enough slack to permit the bucket to open its jaws and dump its load. rthe drinn shaft /zy is normally held from reverse movement by a friction brake but when the open bucket is ready to be dropped, the friction clutches are thrown to allow both drums to turn and pay out both ropes simultaneously until the open jaws of the bucket touch the coal. At this point the openingand-closing drum is again clutched to the shaft, the hoisting drum remaining unclutched, the reverse gearing thrown in by tightening the brake band /c'l and the engne started, thereby causing the hoisting drum positively to raise the counterweight and to pay out the slack hoisting rope at a relatively slow speed, while at the same time taking in the slack of the opening-aiid-closng rope at a relatively greater speed. This renders effective the entire weight of the bucket, permitting the latter to sink into the coal while its jaws are being closed b y the winding up of the slack in the opening-and-closing ropes. By the time the jaws'are closed, the slack, previously let out in the opening-aiid-closing rope, has been taken in. 'lhe hoisting drum is then again clutched to the lshaft, which continues to rotate to take in both ropes similarly and simultaneously for the hoisting of the load, as before.

In Figs. 2 and 3 are illustrated the application of the rope-winding drum illustrated in Fig. 1, to an ordinary form of hoisting engine, the latter employing a double cylinder engine for the trolley drum c, and a sepa ate double' cylinder engine for the bucket rope-winding drums g and g.

Many other devices unnecessary to describe or mention, but embodying` nevertheless my invention may be employed for taking np the slack in the opening-and-closing rope while at the same time relieving the bucket of. the counterweight; one such system, employing a single winding drum for both ropes and an independently operable slack take-up device for the opening-and-closing rope, is described and claimed in Patent No. 832,744, granted to me October S), 1906.

It is to be understood therefore that my invention in its broad aspect is in no wise limited to the specic illustrative embodiment herein described.

Claims.

1. lnan apparatus of the class described the combination with a clamshell bucket of an opening and closing rope therefor, a hoisting rope, a trolley, tower and booln, a pair of hoisting drums located in said tower upon which drums said ropes are adapted shaft upon which said drums are loosely mounted, a centrally arranged clutching device between said drums whereby they may be clutched to or unclutched from the said shaft at will, planetary gearing between the said shaft and the hoisting drum including a driving pinion fixed on the shaft, an internal gear secured to the drum, one or more intermediate pinions carried by a member rotatably mounted on the said driving shaft and a band brake for holding said member fixed or for leaving the same free to rotate whereby the said hoisting drum may be clutched directly to the driving` shaft to raise the bucket and lower the counterweight, or driven positively through said planetary gearing at a reduced speed to lower the bucket and raise the counterweight.

2. In an apparatus of the classdescribed the combination with a hoisting device of an operating rope therefor, a hoisting rope, a pair of drums upon which said ropes are adapted respectively to be wound, a counterweight connected to the hoisting drum in a relation reverse, to that of the hoisting device, a driving shaft upon whichsaid drums are loosely mounted, means'for clutching said drums to or unclutch the same from said shaft at will, and planetary gearing between said shaft and said hoisting drum including a driving and a driven gear and a member intermediate said gears carried by a rotatably mounted member,`and means for throwing said planetary gearing into or out of effective operation whereby the said hoisting drum may be clutched directly to the driving shaft or reversely turned through said planetary gearing at a reduced rate of spee 3. In an apparatus of the class described the combination with a clamshell bucket of an opening and closing rope therefor,` a hoisting rope, a trolley, tower and boom, a pair of drums upon which said ropes are adapted respectively to be wound, a counterweight reversely connected to the hoisting drum, a driving shaft, means for driving said drums from said driving `shaft and planetary gearing means for driving said drum indirectly` from said shaftin a reverse direction and at a reduced rate of speed.

4. In an apparatus of the class described the combination with a hoisting device, an operating rope leading thereto, a hoisting rope, means for counterweighting said device, and planetary gearing means for relieving the counterweighting eifect thereof while taking in said operating rope.

5. In an apparatus of the class described the combination with a hoisting device, a counterweight connected therewith, a hoisting drum to raise the hoisting device and 4 lower said counterweight, and planetary gearing connections for said drum through which the latter may positively raise said counterweight at a reduced rate of speed.

6. In an apparatus of the class described the combination with a hoisting device a, the hoisting rope 0l, the operating rope e, the counterweight W, the counterweight rope fw, b the operating drum g, hoisting drum g, driving shafth and internal planetary gearing members la, 7c', 762, k3, 7a4.

7. In an apparatus of the class described, the combination with a hoisting device, a counter-weight connected therewith, a hoisting drum to raise the hoisting device and lower said counter-weight, and positive or toothed gearing connections for driving said drum, through which the latter may be positively driven in a reverse direction to raise said counter-weight.

8. In an apparatus of the class described, the combination with a hoisting device, a counterweight connected therewith, a hoisting drum, a driving member, means for connecting said hoisting drum to said driving member to cause the former to raise the hoisting device and lower the counterweight, positive or toothed gearing connections also for driving said drum at a slower speed in a reverse direction, and means for rendering said gearing connections effective for driving the drum to raise the counterweight.

9. In an apparatus of the class described, the combination with a clam shell bucket, of an opening and closing rope therefor, a winding drum for said rope, a hoisting rope, a counterweight associated with said bucket and said hoisting rope, a hoisting drum,

driving means, means for connecting said drums to said driving means to wind in the opening and closing rope and the hoisting rope and lower said counterweight, positive ortoothed gearing connections also for driving the drum for the hoisting rope in a reverse direction at a slower speed, and means for rendering said gearing connections effective for paying out the hoisting rope and positively raising the counterweight.

In testimonywhereof, I have signed my name to this speciiication, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ALMON E. NORRI S.

Witnesses:

DAisY C. GWINN, THOMAS B. BOOTH. 

